Careful
by Idan
Summary: "Everyone in Patrick Jane's life was careful." A tag of sorts to Days of Wine and Roses, just a little something that popped into my head and wouldn't go away.


**Title: **Careful

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything in here and am making no profit.

**Summary: "**Everyone in Patrick Jane's life was careful." A tag of sorts to Days of Wine and Roses, just a little something that popped into my head and wouldn't go away.

Everyone in Patrick Jane's life was careful. He was surrounded by cops, after all, who were hedged around with rules and were cautious by training and instinct. They had to be careful of so much: evidence, the handling of suspects, the capturing of dangerous criminals, how each of their actions might affect the case against said dangerous criminals.

And they were careful of him, always checking to make sure they knew where he was if there was any chance of shots flying, careful of his moods, careful of his feelings. They cared much more than he did about any of that, in fact. He deserved to be miserable, and he didn't understand why anyone should try to alleviate that.

But no one was more careful than Lisbon. Though she occasionally showed flashes of recklessness in agreeing to one of his cunning plans, she was meticulous in building her case against Volker, despite the fact that Jane could clearly see this was an enemy who was also very careful. And when you were up against someone careful, you had to be careless sometimes. True risk was alien to a careful nature, after all.

Though he had to admit his theory hadn't yet paid off in regard to Red John. But it would: his best chance yet, to turn Lorelei, had involved his biggest risks yet. His shoulder still ached sometimes when it rained, reminding him of the impact of the car against the tree and the fact that he wasn't getting any younger, was running out of time. Most people got more careful as they aged, but he was doing the opposite, because he had to accomplish his goal before he could accept the end of this otherwise pointless existence.

But the thought of the same evolution happening in Lisbon unsettled him. For one thing, she was not a creature of nuance—she would charge hard at a problem and tackle it head-on. Literally, on more than one occasion he'd witnessed. She depended on him for cunning, but she'd taken the Volker thing too personally to ask for help until she had no other option.

Over the years, he'd gotten used to having Lisbon there to act as a counterweight to his obsession, doing her best to keep him teetering on the edge instead of plunging over. Being careful of him. He was afraid he actually needed her at this point. Volker couldn't be allowed to disrupt this critical balance in Jane's life, couldn't be allowed to become such a major, if perhaps unintentional, help to Red John. Or perhaps intentional? That was a concept worth pondering when he had some quality brooding time.

But that wasn't going to be anytime soon, because Lisbon had asked for his help, and he would give it unstintingly. Volker was used to being the smartest man in the room only because he hadn't shared a room with Patrick Jane for long. And it would be a pleasure to take down someone arrogant enough to taunt Lisbon in her own office—to make a special trip to do that, from what he could discover. Not that he would have gotten much satisfaction from it; long exposure to Jane had made Lisbon all but impervious to manipulation, and she'd never been vulnerable to intimidation.

He was confident they would bring Volker down, but only if they did it together. And for that, he needed Lisbon to be her usual cautious self, ready to grab his arm if his dancing took him too close to the cliff. He'd never anticipated having to say it, so when the time came, he'd hesitated a bit over his words, fearing she might take it as criticism rather than concern.

"I...I want you to be careful," he'd said. He hoped she understood that he meant it comprehensively, not just when it came to Volker. There was so much she needed to be careful of, and her focus on Volker made her vulnerable to other dangers.

He wasn't going to let her risk herself for Volker. Because he needed her with him, intact and wholly herself, when he finally came face to face with Red John. Being careful, so he didn't have to be.

They would take down Volker, and Jane figured he would even enjoy it. But he had to remember to keep a close eye on Lisbon.

For once, he would be the careful one.


End file.
